It was a Thursday evening in Heile Welt, one of those small bars in Münster where the walls seem to bend under the weight of the past and the air is so thick you could cut it with a blunt knife. The stage, barely bigger than a coffin lid and lit like a candle in a storm, offered a strange contrast to the heat of the evening. The audience, a colorful mix of students, freaks and lost souls, was sweating under the pressure of everyday life, which they were trying to drown in alcohol.

There they were on stage - the Mary Lee Family Band, a Brazilian bluegrass band who now call Berlin their home.

Mary Lee herself was a phenomenon. Her voice, a mixture of honey and vodka, echoed through the room like an unstoppable train hurtling towards us in the distance. Her husband, a man with the stoic calm of a Zen master, drove the drums as if he were beating the heart of a nervous shark. Patrick, her son on double bass, worked the strings like a man fighting a duel to the death with a huge, wooden monster.

Then there were Sorcha and Pirata. Sorcha, the violinist with the fiery curls, whose bowing set the air in the bar on fire, and Pirata, the banjo player, who treated the instrument like a machine gun. They fired their notes into the crowd, which became more and more intoxicated as the evening progressed.

The Mary Lee Family Band was a strange mix, sounding like a twisted journey through the far reaches of country music, with a detour through the psychedelic landscapes of rock 'n' roll. Her own songs, like “A Horse Named Reefer”, took us on journeys full of surreal images and twisted metaphors. But then, out of nowhere, they ripped through the bluegrass mangle with the familiar melodies of “Ace of Spades” and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, as if the audience had landed in an alternate universe where Cyndi Lauper and Lemmy Kilmister were love children of the devil.

As the last notes faded and the lights flickered in the Heile Welt, all that remained was the feeling that we had all witnessed something that could not easily be put into words. It was a mixture of madness and magic, a memory that would hurt like a hangover the next morning, but that you wouldn't want to miss for the world."
Dominik (https://jubelschuppen.de/)

It all began with a pair of ... socks. Which weren't.
Such is the magic of Bluegrass in La Roche. Even on the last day, even late at night, after many surprises, when you think you've heard it all, there it is : love at first sight.

I must confess those socks-which-weren't tingled my curiosity, much as a white rabbit running with a hand-clock would. And the rest of the band confirmed my first impression : they're THEMSELVES, each and everyone of them. No false play there...

And then came the music ! The energy ! A superb mix of influences, from bluegrass to punk rock, played with evident enjoyment. But even more impressive was the feeling of pleasure, of togetherness, that rose from this set. The name of the band tells it all : Mary Lee Family Band. Mother, husband and son, and... distant cousins ? We French people would refer to a family "à la mode de Bretagne " whose main link is the love they share. Love for the music and each other. It was the highlight of my evening, and if only for that : thank you. I hope to be able to see and hear them again, the sooner, the better !

@Laurie.C pics 

Mary Lee Family Band is truly a nugget. Musically, there's no equal, as bluegrass music is mixed with punk, rock and Americana sounds. What energy! This explosion is delivered both vocally and physically by this family in the broadest sense, with husband Mauro Montezuma (percussion) and son Patrick Saldanha (double bass) accompanying Mary Lee. A Hispanic-Brazilian on banjo and “the pirate” Daren Stieglitz on mandolin are there to support their frenzied rhythm. It's impossible to remain unmoved by this family band, which literally explodes in your eyes and ears. Mary Lee was born and raised in Brazil, but has been living in Germany for some years now. This cultural mix of country music (rather honky tonk), bluegrass instruments (played with such ardor) and a multi-ethnic-cultural spirit makes the Mary Lee Family Band truly UNIQUE. Fabulously unique, but also inspiring, invigorating.

PascalP (www.countrygift.fr)